UAVs may be equipped with a lighting source, and one or more UAVs may be used to generate aerial illumination. For example, it is known to program a plurality of UAVs to utilize onboard lights for the performance of a UAV light show. During a UAV light show, the UAV light source may be employed for direct visualization, such as where a plurality of UAV lights create an image in the sky. It may also be desirable to determine the resulting ground illumination or illumination of other objects.